This invention relates to guns capable of firing paintballs by using pressurized gas and in particular to such guns that are electronically operated.
Guns capable of firing paintballs by use of pressurized gas have been known for a number of years and they are commonly used for recreational sports such as survival or xe2x80x9cwarxe2x80x9d games. The paintballs fired by these guns generally comprise a gelatin shell with a colored liquid or viscous substance in the interior. These paintballs are designed to burst upon impact with a target and thereby create a very visible mark on the target.
Up until recently the firing mechanisms in paintball guns have generally been mechanical in nature and have not been electrically operated. An example of such a gun is that disclosed in and illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,349,939 issued Sep. 27, 1994 to Brass Eagle Inc. This gun has a hammer mechanism slidably mounted in the breech. A spring is used to drive the hammer forwards when the gun is fired. The firing mechanism requires the use of a sear device mounted on a sear pin and located in the breech area, a rear detent slidably mounted in the sear device and a spring to bias this detent so that it is engageable with the trigger.
Recently, electronically operated paintball guns have come into use and have become popular. One such paintball gun is described in recent U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,707 issued Mar. 16, 1999 to Smart Parts, Inc. The grip of the gun has an electrical switch capable of activating a launching sequence. An electrical control unit is housed within the body of the gun and a grip and can direct pressurized gas flow between the pneumatic components of the gun in order to load, cock and fire the gun. The electrical control unit includes an electrical power source which activates an electrical timing circuit when the electrical switch is closed, and two electrically operated pneumatic flow distribution devices. Upon closure of the switch, the control unit causes a projectile to be loaded into the launching mechanism by actuation of the first pneumatic flow distribution device. A paintball is fired when the timing circuit actuates the second flow distribution device to release gas from a storage chamber into the launching mechanism.
Another electronically activated gun is that described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,003,504 issued to NPF Limited on Dec. 21, 1999. This gun employs first and second gas pressure regulators with the first capable of providing high gas pressure in a first chamber of the gun. The second regulator is connected between this first chamber and a second chamber and maintains a lower working pressure in the second chamber. A control valve receives gas under pressure from the second chamber and directs it selectively to a ram slidably mounted in a cylinder. The ram is moved by gas pressure between a retracted position and a forward position where it opens a valve to allow high pressure gas to flow from the first chamber to the barrel to fire a paintball. The gun""s trigger operates a microswitch which is part of an electronic control circuit for the gun.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a relatively simple, low cost, electronically operated paintball gun that employs a pneumatic circuit for driving the bolt towards a front shooting position and a spring to bias the bolt to a rearward position after the gun is shot.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel paintball gun that employs an electronic circuit for controlling a pneumatic circuit of the gun and that can be manufactured easily and at reasonable cost.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a paintball gun operable to shoot paintballs includes a barrel, a gun body section including a breech connected to a rear end of the barrel and a handle section, and a trigger movably mounted on said gun body section. A bolt is contained in a single elongate bolt chamber formed in the breech. The bolt is movable between a retracted position where a paintball can enter the bolt chamber through an inlet and a front shooting position where the inlet is closed. The bolt has an elongate, longitudinally extending passage formed therein. A spring is mounted in the longitudinally extending passage of the bolt. Also, a spring engaging member is mounted in this passage and is fixedly connected to the breech section. The spring is engaged by the spring engaging member at a front end of the spring and therefore is able to bias the bolt towards the retracted position. A pneumatic circuit is used to drive the bolt forwardly towards the front shooting position using pressurized gas and includes a control valve arranged to receive gas under pressure and direct the pressurized gas (when the gun is shot) into the bolt chamber to a rear side of the bolt. An electronic circuit controls the pneumatic circuit and includes an electrical switch operated by movement of the trigger. The gun further includes a gas valve mechanism mounted therein and adapted to be opened by engagement of the gas valve mechanism by the bolt in the front firing position to permit passage of pressurized gas from a pressurized gas source to the barrel to propel a paintball along and out of the barrel.
The preferred gun includes a battery connected to the electronic circuit which includes an on/off switch. The preferred electronic circuit includes a mircocomputer with a timer capable of controlling the length of time when the control valve directs gas under pressure to the rear of the hammer.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided in a gas powered gun for firing balls, a barrel, a gun body section including a breech behind the barrel for receiving one ball at a time through a ball feed port, a trigger movably mounted in the gun body section, and a bolt slidable within the breech to advance a ball to a shooting position and close off the feed port. This gun also has a regulator for supplying pressurized gas at a relatively low gas pressure, this regulator being adapted for connection to a source of relatively high-pressure gas. The improvement in this gun includes means for moving the bolt to a retracted position after the gun is shot. A solenoid valve having an inlet connected to the regulator is arranged to deliver relatively low pressure gas to a rear side of the bolt for moving the bolt forwardly to the shooting position when the solenoid valve is in an open position. The improvement further includes an electronic circuit for controlling the solenoid valve, this circuit including an electrical switch operated by the trigger, and a valve mechanism for permitting the relatively high pressure gas to flow into the barrel in order to propel a ball along and out of the barrel, this valve mechanism being moved to an open position by engagement of the bolt with the valve mechanism in the front shooting position of the bolt. The valve mechanism includes a movable operating member adapted to project into a bolt chamber formed in the breech until the gun is shot. The movable operating member is moved by the bolt when the bolt is driven to the shooting position and thereby opens the valve mechanism to release the relatively high pressure gas.
In a preferred embodiment, the moving mechanism is a coil spring mounted in the bolt and engaging the bolt at one end of the spring. The preferred electronic circuit is powered by a battery connected thereto and this circuit further includes a manual ON/OFF switch, and an electronic switch which is capable of shutting down the electronic circuit automatically in order to save battery power.
According to still another aspect of the invention, a gun operable to shoot balls comprises a barrel, and a gun body section attached to the barrel and including a breech section co-axial with the barrel and a movable trigger. The gun further includes a bolt mounted in the breech section and movable between a retracted position for ball loading and a forward position for shooting a ball. The gun also has means for moving of the bolt to the retracted position after the gun is shot and a first pneumatic circuit for delivering propellant gas from a supply to the barrel for propelling the ball therefrom. This first pneumatic circuit includes a first gas valve. There is also a second pneumatic circuit connected to receive pressurized gas from the gas supply, this circuit including a second valve for delivering pressurized gas to a rear end of the bolt for a short time interval in order to drive the bolt from the retracted position to the forward position and thereby cause the bolt to engage the first gas valve mechanism to open it and release the propellant gas into the barrel. An electronic circuit is also provided to operate the second valve and this circuit is operable by the trigger.
Preferably the moving mechanism of this gun is a coil spring mounted inside the bolt in a passage formed in the bolt and engaging the bolt at a rear end of the coil spring.
According to still another aspect of the invention, a gun operable to shoot balls comprises a barrel; a gun body section attached to a rear end of the barrel and including a breech section coaxial with the barrel; a movable trigger mounted on the gun body section; and a bolt mounted in the breech section and movable between a retracted position for ball loading through an inlet in the breech section and a forward position for shooting a ball. The bolt has an elongate passage formed therein. The gun also includes a spring mounted in the bolt for moving the bolt between the retracted position and its forward position. A spring holder is mounted in the elongate passage and is fixedly connected to the breech section. The spring holder engages a front end of the spring. A pneumatic circuit is also provided for delivering propellant gas from a gas supply to the barrel for propelling a ball therefrom. This pneumatic circuit includes a gas valve mechanism. When the bolt is moved from its retracted position to its forward position, the bolt engages the gas valve mechanism and causes the gas valve mechanism to open and release the propellant gas into the barrel.
Further features and advantages of the paintball gun of this invention will become apparent for the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment.